Well I had a hard time finding the Bush team's first stop, the Harley Davidson plant, but once I did, I found a welcoming crowd - the Wisconsin Citizen's action committee was on hand with a warm welcome. I told them what I was doing and how I felt, but I was preaching to the choir, so to speak.

So we're all out there doing our civic duty, but the real action was going on behind the locked gates of the facility - Snow, etc. giving prepared speeches to a captive audience of Harley workers. We (myself and Citizen's Action) were basically spouting off to ourselves and a couple of Secret Service agents while Bush's team had the ear of the national media. What a load of crap. I can only imagine how badly the captive Harley workers were wishing that they were in Sturgis kicking some bureaucratic ass.

I hit the road hoping to have better luck in Green Bay. The "Economic Delusion" tour was going to a car dealership and I thought I might have better luck there confronting the Bush team. No luck. The Green Bay event was by "invitation only" and I wasn't invited. I even tried to be sneaky - by putting on my suit and tie - but still I was denied entrance. The Bush team/ SS entourage came into the blocked-off parking lot and were whisked into the back door of the building, never to be seen by the naked eye again.

I spent my time chatting with an unemployed union worker and a retired couple bemoaning the state of the economy. The retired couple is struggling to make health insurance payments (prescriptions drugs and Medicare supplemental) and we spoke about the pathetic state of health care coverage in this country. These are decent people who have worked hard all of their lives and raised (2) families - yet our society can't afford to provide them with basic medical care? And we can afford to remove taxes on stock dividends? Arggggg …

While we were talking, the Bush team was whisked out of the company and then hermetically sealed onto their tour bus (picture). I gave my friends a hug and gave chase to Bush's spin doctors.

The final stop of the day was a Culvers fast food restaurant in Wausau, WI. Now I'll have my chance, I said to myself: this is a restaurant, a public place, where I can walk in and order a burger and fries (much needed) and finally have a sane conversation with the economic advisors. Well, I did get an ice cream cone - through the drive-through - but I couldn't go into the restaurant - the "greeter" (who look surprising like another Secret Service agent) told me that the restaurant was full and that no one else could come in.

Seeing as how I've driven a few hundred miles trying to see these guys, I decided to play hard ball. So I do what any good American does when a restaurant is full - I go through the drive-thru. A few times. Several times. Ok, many, many times. Each time I'm hoping at least that Snow et. al. would see the messages on my minivan and maybe, out of a shred of decency, come out to talk to me. I ordered and drank 15 Diet Cokes (this should be illegal).

Now here begins the truely weird part:  my car is totally out of cupholders at this point so I park and walk around to the back to throw a Target bag full of soda containers in the dumpster... and what do I see? It's like Madison Avenue! Snow and the whole team is doing interviews BEHIND the restaurant, behind the garbage bin, totally out of the public eye. For God's sake … and the SS agents wouldn't even let me use the dumpster!

I walk back across the parking lot toward my car and see this guy wearing a press badge so I go over and we start talking. As we talk it becomes apparant that I have kind of taken him "out of the Matrix" of the media event. I'm unemployed. I'm real. It's clear that the press folk are being told that the chanting mass on the other side of Culvers are "just disaffected Democrats." Ya sure.

How did being unemployed and pissed off about it in this country become such a big secret?! Since January of 2000 there's at least 3 MILLION more of us!

Anyway, returning to my car and my Merry-Go-Round-Culvers routine, I was two cars back from another Diet Coke when a fleet of agents suddenly come out from behind the dumpster followed by none-other than Treasury Secretary John Snow. I quickly roll down my passenger side window, motion and holler "Hi! How are ya?" A half dozen agents surround my minivan and John walks right up and stands outside my passenger window.

The back of my mind is buzzing--am I about to have an accidental conversation with Secretary John Snow in the drive-thru of a Culvers in Wausau, Wisconsin?! Is this happenning completely by luck and because the drive-thru cashier knows me on a first name basis?

"What's your story?" Snow says.

I tell him I was laid off last week & saw that he was coming & I thought it was important to come here and let him see the reality of what's going on in today's economy.

"What industry were you in?"

"Most recently the software industry."

"That's a particularly vulnerable part of the economy."

"Yes, well, I need a new job & it doesn't look good."

"Just wait," he said. "The first tax cuts haven't really taken effect. So just wait... the second tax cut... well, it' won't hit the economy for several months, but I'm sure you'll get a job."

"But, but... we've already lost over 900,000 jobs just since March first... a job at Wall-Mart just won't support my family."

"Just wait, I'm sure you'll find a job."

At that moment the car in front of me pulled ahead for their order and John stepped back from my window. The SS agents signalled for me to pull ahead.

"Just wait?!" I've got a $350 payment for this minivan, a morgage and two kids! Here's a guy who drives a few hundred miles to see you, four days after he's been laid off, and you tell him to "just wait?"

Boy I'd like to see those words on a PR banner behind Snow at the podium:
                                               Jobs and Growth: Just Wait.

Man, I could tell you more but I am tired. Tomorrow is another day and another chance to get the word out. Check in with me then.

Stay connected - stay real - find me a job ;)

--John
1:09 am

(Snow later recounted his version of our conversation to reporters--1/2 way down.)

  Well I entered day two wiser, more jaded and slightly smelly under the armpits. I made it to Rochester, MN by 10 PM, popped for a Motel 6 (what does that "6" stand for by the way … the number of people it takes to run the joint?) and plugged into the WWW. Man it was like coming home, reading all the emails of support (see below). Thank you! People treat you funny when you are riding in a van festooned with facts about unemployment. They creep up slooowly, then quickly accelrate when they come to eye level … kind of like riding in a pimped-out hearse in a funeral train. It was clear that all my message meant to some people was:

BEWARE: INSANE MAN INSIDE THIS VAN! DO NOT ATTEMPT TO ENGAGE! HE MIGHT CAUSE YOU DISCOMFORT AND YOU MAY TURN INTO A RABID COMMUNIST! STAY CLEAR!!!

Nonetheless, it was fun (maybe I'm sadistically insane) and we all should feel very uncomfortable with the current regime - futures trading on terrorist attacks? Great googly-moogly!

Enough already. Today started at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester. I met up with a great group of people - union workers, laid-off IBM software techs, retired folks -- and we held a protest across the street from the EVENT. As usual, we were the freak sideshow, while the main event took place within carefully guarded walls. I did get a glimpse of Secretary Snow, my buddy, crossing the street, but as usual he was the nucleus inside a security blob and disappeared into the Mayo building. I have no idea what happened in there. Some kind of phlebotomy demonstration. And I didn't see Secretary Snowjob come back out … maybe he was transmogrified into some kind of television creature and beamed out. Believe me, it could happen.

I packed up my Reality Tour (yes, I know that title is becoming rather tenuous based on this report) and hauled butt up to St Paul, MN for Event #2, held at the St Paul Chamber of Commerce. Again, I have no idea what happened on the inside - they came, they spouted, they left - but the outside show was a little more interesting. A Police Dectective came up to me and flashed his badge and told me that "we" were blocking free passage on the sidewalk and that I should take "my group" to the other side of the street. Very flattering. I modestly insisted that this wasn't "my group", that these folks were from a variety of organizations (dems, unions, peace activists) and that as far as I could see everyone was behaving nicely and not blocking anyone's passage. In fact, it was the Media Uplink truck that was blocking the cross-walk (home of CNN) and if anything we were nicely lined up with protest signs, kind of like blinking lights on a run-way.

Well, the Detective saw right through this and insisted that I move "my group" now or that he and his burly helper would move us. I simply turned and walked away, kind of in circles, so that he could see that I had lost control of "my group". This worked but I could see him trying to find another sucker to pin the group on. Freedom is very frustrating isn't it?

The real story was that CNN and media crews were parked there in front of the building and there was a chance that "my group" might be seen on TV. Ah well, the detective finally succeeded in moving "the group" across the street but I stayed behind and got a 15 second interview on the CNN Financial Network. They told me that this was a "live feed" (isn't that what they give alligators?). Did anyone see it?

Event #3 was a "Town Hall" meeting at the Best Buy headquarters in Richfield, MN. This is a huge corporate campus and of course we were blocked from entering the parking lot (see pics). I have little to say about this event - the pictures tell the story.

I'm not sure what is going to happen on Day 3 of this tour. The Bush team and media entourage are gone, and I'm going to go play baseball with my boy then buckle down and start my job search in earnest. That said, I'm still pissed and plan to keep this site updated … and to track these guys down if they start another tour.

Stay real, say connected and thank you.

--John